DH Interview | 'Focus on strengthening Nissan's presence in key segments'

Nissan is gearing up for its next phase in India with a renewed product push, with three cars lined up this year alongside its established offering, the Magnite. In a bid to deliver stronger value to customers, the Japanese automaker is sharpening its market focus and aiming to scale up volumes in highly-competitive segments.

From a current sub-1% market share to a strong product roadmap and expanding exports, the company is betting on a more focused strategy going forward. Nissan Motor India Managing Director Saurabh Vatsa lays out the road ahead in a candid interview with DH’s Hrithik Kiran Bagade.

Nissan was among the top five passenger vehicle makers in India in the mid-2010s, with strong growth and well-received models like the Micra and Terrano. How did the journey evolve after that?

Nissan first entered India in 1965 through a contract with the Ministry of Defence. The Patrol P60 was licensed and produced as the Jonga at the Jabalpur Ordnance and Guncarriage Assembly.

Production continued until 1999, with the Armed Forces deploying it widely across terrains, and in its final years, it was also supplied to civilians. The brand returned with multiple products and a clear focus on technology. The Micra introduced features like push-button start, while the Sunny stood out for its spacious rear legroom.

Over time, Nissan introduced around 13 vehicles in India. Manufacturing is based in Chennai, with a strong parallel focus on exports alongside the domestic portfolio.

In 2020, Nissan brought the Magnite as a key entry model to reset its direction in India. It has been a strong success, consistently delivering 30,000-35,000 units annually for several years, with around 24,000 units last year. This single-product performance reinforced the brand’s equity in India.

The momentum led to renewed investment of over 700 million euros for upcoming products, in addition to the 100 million euros spent on the Magnite facelift for both LHD and RHD markets, opening access to over 65 countries.

The Sunny also continues to be manufactured in Chennai and exported to West Asia and South Africa. The next phase includes three products: the just-launched Gravite 7-seater, the Tekton C-SUV (5-seater) in the middle of the year, and a larger 7-seater C-SUV later. These will span multiple segments in the Indian market.

What happened with the subcompact crossover SUV Kicks?

The Kicks was discontinued as the portfolio transitioned to meet evolving emission and safety standards. The focus shifted to the Magnite, which now serves as a full B-SUV offering with naturally aspirated and turbo engines, manual, AMT and CVT options, and E20 compliance. It also supports CNG kits, LHD and RHD configurations, and is exported to over 65 countries.

At a time when several carmakers exited India, Nissan stayed committed.

Did exports shape a more low-key domestic presence?

Exports were essential to sustaining the business, especially given the small domestic share. However, under the global Re:Nissan strategy, India is now a key pillar. The focus is to build strong domestic products, while leveraging India’s stringent emission and safety standards, which also support global exports.

Nissan has maintained quality focus, including offering a 10-year warranty on the Magnite. This reflects durability and reliability standards. The company is also building a stronger ecosystem around new models and expanding its network to over 250 outlets across 180 cities the next fiscal year, up from 170 outlets in 135 cities. Expansion includes deeper metro penetration and Tier 2-4 cities, including 8-10 outlets in Bengaluru.

With current market share under 1%, how do you plan to grow it?

The focus is not on chasing market share but on strengthening presence in key segments. With a 500,000-unit capacity alliance plant in Chennai, the company is targeting 100,000 domestic and 100,000 export units next fiscal. The upcoming three products will support this growth.

Are you planning to expand into EVs?

We will communicate what we do and deliver what we commit. Multiple technologies are under development, which will be revealed at the appropriate time.

Many carmakers now offer feature-rich vehicles at accessible prices. Will Nissan move in that direction?

Cars today are becoming highly feature-loaded, much like smartphones, but customers often use only a fraction of those features. It is important to balance affordability with aspiration, build quality, and meaningful features. The Magnite continues to reflect this value approach, and future products will be equipped with segment-relevant technologies and features.

Is the strategy about aggressive pricing, considering that the Gravite
starts at Rs 5.65 lakh?

The strategy is not just about pricing, but overall value-creation. A strong ecosystem is being built around the Gravite. Rather than entering a price war, the emphasis will remain on delivering value through design, performance, features, and the overall ownership experience.

Is there a plan to bring Infiniti to India?

The current focus is on strengthening the Nissan brand in India. Introducing another brand would require a separate network, investment, and strategic focus. For now, the priority is to rebuild Nissan’s presence, improve customer experience, and expand the portfolio before considering additional brands.